Iron Man's Daughter

Tess and Pepper sat on the sofas watching Mad Money with some crazy, bald guy talking trash about Stark Industries.

“This guy annoys me,”Tess stated, leaning back in her seat.

“Indeed he does,”Ms. Potts sighed.

“Ms. Potts?”

“Tess, we've known each other for nearly four months. Its okay to call me Pepper.” Miss Potts smiled at the teenager.

Tess smiled back, but then she replaced it with a solemn expression. “When can we tell Stark about...me?” She'd gotten to the point where she called the man “Stark” instead of “Tony” because it seemed too personal to her. She really wasn't wanting to tell him because she was excited, more to just get it over with.

“Whenever you want?” Pepper said matter-of-factly. “He'll be under the radar for a while and now would be a good time as any.” Tess nodded stiffly, her eyes returning to the TV. It was cool that the screen was transparent, backed by the view of the ocean.

The Mad Money guy took a baseball bat to a mug, making them both wince. “Look, that's a weapons company that doesn't make weapons!”

“Pepper,”Tony's voice came from the remote-screen thing on the table. "How big are you hands?"

“What?” Miss Potts asked, turning down the TV.

"How big are your hands?"Stark repeated.

“I don't understand why–”

“Get down here. I need you,”he said.

Pepper got up. “I'll be right back,” she said and walked off. Tess sighed and leaned back again, flipping through the channels. Nothing seemed to catch her attention so she decided to go see what Pepper and Tony were up to. Tess's eyebrows furrowed together as she acknowledged Stark sitting in a chair, shirtless, hooked up to some machines.

"Okay." Pepper reached into the hole. Tess could hear the disgust in her voice. “Oh, there's pus!”

“Its not pus. Its an inorganix plasmic disharge from the device, not from my body.”

“It smells!”

”Yeah, it does.”

“The copper wire. The copper wire, you got it?”

“I got it! I got it!”

“Now, do't let it touch the–”Tony jerked,”SIDES when you're coming out!”

“I'm sorry. I'm sorry.”

“That's what I was trying to tell you before. Okay, now make sure that when you pull it out, you don't...There's a magnet at the end of it.”The whole wire appeared from Tony's chest. "That was it. You just pulled it out." The ECG began to beep loudly.

“Oh God!” Pepper started to reach for the hole with his chest.

“Don't put it back in!” Stark demanded.

“What do I do? What's wrong?”

“Oh nothing, I 'm just going into cardiac arrest...cause you yanked it out like a trout.”

“What? You said it was safe!”

“We gotta hurry. Take this. You gotta switch it out really quick.”

Pepper took the device that he held out. “Tony? Its gonna be okay. I'm gonna make this okay.”

“Let's hope. Okay, you're gonna attach that to the base plate–”

“No! No, I can't do this!” Pepper exclaimed, stepping back. “I can't! What if I screw up?”
"Pepper...you already did screw up."
“No, Tony! I can't!”

Tess quickly walked up to the panicking secretary and took the reactor from her. "Good, Lord..." She reached to put it in.

Stark looked at her wearily.”Make sure you...” The device snapped into place and the ECGs immediately calmed down as his heart restarted."Yow! Wow..."

“There you are, Mr. Stark,” Tess said tersely and turned to walk away.

“Thank you!” Stark called, but Tess just waved him off and left. “Well...she's friendly.”

“She's just shy,”Pepper defended, still trying to catch her breath.

“Right, well. You okay?”he asked as he unhooked himself from the ECG.

Pepper nodded. “Are you?”

“I'm perfect.” Tony smiled. “Never better.”

She smiled back and nodded. “Well, I better go see if Tess's okay.”

Tony thought for a second. “You know...for being really quiet and kind of unfriendly, I kinda like that kid. You should hire her on for real.”

Pepper's smile grew. “I'll consider that.”

–

Tess’s grip on the stool tightened as she heard Stark’s approach into the kitchen. She looked up at Pepper, who gave her a small, reassuring smile. Tony came in, pulling his suite jacket onto his shoulders.

“Good morning, ladies,”he greeted pleasantly.

Pepper handed him his cup of coffee. “Tony, can we speak to you for a moment?”

“Sure,” he said.

Tess breathed in deeply and looked up at the man who she shared her own blood with. “I have...I have a reason to believe...”She looked over at Pepper, who urged her on. “...that...that you’re my father.”

Stark stared at her from over his coffee cup, the caffeinated drink centimeters from his lips. He lowered it. “I’m sorry?”

“My mom was Mia Koscher,”Tess said, figuring that’s all she’d need to say for a light bulb to turn on in this guy’s ego-inflated head. Pepper handed him the birth certificate and he stared at it for a long time.

Finally, he looked at Tess without any emotion. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve never met your mother and you definitely aren't my daughter.”

Tess stared at him in shock. Never met her mother? How could he say something like that? Whever Mia had spoken of him, Tess had seen how much she loved him. And he was telling her she was wrong? That she wasn’t his daughter, that her dead mother was lying? Tears burned in the back of her eyes. The proof was right there in his hand! Tess jumped from the stool and ran from the kitchen.

Tony watched after her and shook his head. He caught the look on Pepper’s face. “What?”

“You know what,”she said softly.

Tony raised his eyebrows in an indifferent gesture. “I’ve got a meeting with Obie. I’ll talk to you later. Thanks for the coffee,”he said and rushed out of the room.